New CNN Doc Tease Now Goes After Christian Schools as ‘Nationalist’

In another tease for CNN’s new documentary on The Rise of Christian Nationalism, Pamela Brown continued her promotion of hour-long “special report” by going after Christian schools’ methods of teaching and punishment amid a recent rise of shooting attacks against Christian schools on Thursday’s CNN News Central.

Brown started her report by calling classical Christian schools as “foundational” for the “Christian nationalism” movement. 

She visited and interviewed the heads of a classical Christian school in Taylor, Texas, who happened to be a married couple. She made sure to make a point that a religious school's teachings are… built upon the ideals of their religion, “Religion isn't just a subject, it's embedded in every subject and in the way they discipline students who may act out of turn.”

 

 

Brown's interview with the school leaders focused on the discipline techniques of the classroom, some of which have been common occurrence at religious schools for many years, “Within strict reformed churches, disobedience demands discipline. Whether from a parent, a husband, or a teacher.”

Headmaster Caleb Ripple then added, “The goal of biblical discipline is to get them back into fellowship with God, with one another. And nine times out of ten our teachers are able to get that done in the classroom.”

As for the one exception, Headmistress EJ Ripple declared, “We do have a spanking policy. We'll make a phone call to the parents and say we have to resolve the issue. So whether it's you coming to pick them up or you coming and administering your own discipline, or us administering a spanking. The root of the problem is a sinful heart.”

Caleb concluded, “We do not ever leave that room after a spanking. And the student is sulky, angry, mad. It is always a restoration of fellowship and it's a beautiful picture. It really is.”

The short preview ended as Brown pointed out the presence of high chairs in the classroom, as her teachers who are mothers are “encouraged to bring their newborns to school. There could be babies crawling around while they teach. They might be holding their babies, Brianna. It's to remind the students that their female teachers' primary role, first and foremost, is to be a mother.”

The documentary tease’s use of the paddle is meant to invoke an image of violence at these schools, but in reality it is part of stories that have been told about corporal punishment at some Christian schools for decades.

The depiction of these schools also comes at a time where Christian schools have been victims of shooting attacks, with some being motivated by transgender ideologies seen in Minneapolis and Nashville. 

It is also important to note in most of the documentary teases so far, there has been little explicit connection of Christianity to politics, except for a connection between as Christian pastor, Doug Wilson, and Secretary Pete Hegseth.

It may lead some to ask if some of CNN's resources could be used to cover topics other than Christianity.

The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:

CNN News Central

February 19, 2026

1:57:50 PM

BRIANNA KEILAR: CNN's brand new episode of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper examines the rise of Christian nationalism in the United States. That ideology is rooted in the belief that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and its laws and institutions should reflect that. CNN anchor and chief investigative correspondent Pamela Brown has been digging into this. All right, Pamela, tell us what you found.

PAMELA BROWN: Well Brianna, when I embarked on this documentary on Christian nationalism, I wanted to better understand the curriculums and ultimate goals of classical Christian schools, which are really foundational for this movement and what the environment there looks like. 

So, I embedded with a community in southeast Texas called Taylor, where I interviewed several folks affiliated with the classical Christian school in the town there, that included the headmaster and headmistress who are married, and another teacher who plans to send all of her children there. Religion isn't just a subject, it's embedded in every subject and in the way they discipline students who may act out of turn.

[Cuts to video]

BROWN: Within strict reformed churches, disobedience demands discipline. Whether from a parent, a husband, or a teacher.

CALEB RIPPLE (Classical Christian School Headmaster): The goal of biblical discipline is to get them back into fellowship with God, with one another. And nine times out of ten our teachers are able to get that done in the classroom.

BROWN: But when they can’t.

GROUP: We do have a paddle.

EJ RIPPLE (Classical Christian School Headmistress): We do have a spanking policy. We'll make a phone call to the parents and say we have to resolve the issue. So, whether it's you coming to pick them up or you coming and administering your own discipline, or us administering a spanking. The root of the problem is a sinful heart.

C. RIPPLE: We do not ever leave that room after a spanking. And the student is sulky, angry, mad. It is always a restoration of fellowship and it's a beautiful picture. It really is.

[Cuts back to live]

BROWN: Now, something they wanted to make clear to me is that disobeying the teacher, while under the authority of that teacher, in their view is also disobeying God. So they see the paddling as a picture of restoration for the students. 

And another element our viewers might find interesting, is at the back of the classroom where we did this interview, there were high chairs. The teachers explained that mothers who are teachers are encouraged to bring their newborns to school. There could be babies crawling around while they teach. They might be holding their babies, Brianna. It's to remind the students that their female teachers' primary role, first and foremost, is to be a mother. I mean, that is foundational as well in their belief system that women should be submissive to their husbands and they should be a mother first and foremost.

So, I'm going to examine all of this and much more in my hour long documentary on The Whole story with Anderson Cooper this Sunday, February 22nd at 8 PM Eastern on CNN, or the next day on CNN's all access streaming platform. And you can see other elements of the story while we're promoting this week on my Instagram, @PamelaBrownCNN.

KEILAR: Really fascinating. And I know it’s going to generate a lot of conversation.

BROWN: And it should. And I hope people of all different faiths watch this and learn something from it, because it is a consequential moment in our country.